Apparatus for making center-filled chewing gum pieces

ABSTRACT

A dual-filled gum piece is provided having a first cavity filled with a liquid filling and a second cavity filled with a powder filling. The gum pieces are produced by extruding a gum rope having two separate channels respectively filled with liquid and powder, sizing and shaping the gum rope, cooling the gum rope, cutting the rope into discrete gum pieces, and finally cooling the gum pieces. The gum pieces optionally can be coated with a hard coating. In other aspects for single- and dual-filled gums, a process for making the gum pieces employs a rope sizer that reduces the diameter of the gum rope and shapes it to have a non-round cross-section, and a multi-story cooling tunnel having individually motor-driven conveyors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to chewing gum, and more particularlyrelates to filled chewing gum pieces and to devices and methods formaking such filled chewing gum pieces.

Filled chewing gum pieces of various shapes have been developed and soldfor many years by the assignee of the present application as well asothers. A filled chewing gum piece has an internal cavity that is filledwith either a liquid filling or a powder filling. The filled gum piecesare typically coated with a hard outer coating or shell. The assigneehas sold liquid-filled gum pieces of generally “lemon-shaped”configuration, as well as powder-filled gum pieces of generally“lentil-shaped” configuration and powder-filled gum pieces of roundtablet form sometimes referred to as “dragees”.

Such filled gum pieces have rapidly gained in popularity in recentyears, owing in part to the novel taste experiences such gum pieces makepossible.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention represents a further development in the field offilled gum pieces.

An apparatus for making a filled chewing gum product in accordance withone embodiment of the invention comprises:

-   -   an extruder comprising:        -   an extruder head defining a chamber for receiving a molten            gum composition and including a die defining a die orifice            through which the molten gum composition is forced from the            chamber under pressure so as to extrude a rope of gum from            the die orifice;        -   a center filling mechanism having a filler tube extending            through the die orifice; and        -   a feed passage extending through the extruder head and            connecting with the filler tube for feeding a filling            through the filler tube, such that the gum rope extruded            through the die orifice is formed to have a channel filled            with the filling;    -   a rope sizer structured and arranged to receive the gum rope        from the extruder and to reduce the cross-sectional size of the        gum rope and to shape the gum rope to have a non-round        cross-sectional shape with a greater dimension in a width        direction than in a height direction;    -   a cooling tunnel structured and arranged to receive the gum rope        from the rope sizer and to cool the gum rope; and    -   a cutter structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from        the cooling tunnel and to cut the gum rope into discrete gum        pieces each having a cavity filled with the filling.

The cooling tunnel comprises a series of individual belt conveyors eachextending substantially horizontally and parallel to the machinedirection and spaced apart from one another in a vertical direction suchthat the belt conveyors substantially lie in a vertical plane, the beltconveyors including an uppermost belt conveyor and a lowermost beltconveyor each traveling in the machine direction and a plurality ofintermediate belt conveyors, wherein each belt conveyor travels in adirection opposite to the immediately prior belt conveyor, and whereinthe gum rope is threaded in a serpentine fashion through the coolingtunnel such that the gum rope is carried along one of the belt conveyorstraveling in the machine direction and then along one or more subsequentones of the belt conveyors, finally exiting the cooling tunnel from thelowermost belt conveyor. The cooling tunnel further comprises blowersfor blowing air across the gum rope.

The belt conveyors can be driven in various ways. In a preferredembodiment, the belt conveyors are independently driven by individualdrive motors. Advantageously, the drive motors are variable-speed motorswhose speeds are independently controllable.

In a preferred embodiment, the belt conveyors are driven by the drivemotors such that a ratio of the speed of the lowermost belt conveyorbelt to the speed of the uppermost belt conveyor is greater than orequal to 1.0 and less than about 1.3, more preferably less than about1.2, still more preferably less than about 1.15, and still morepreferably less than about 1.1.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cooling tunnel has a firstentrance that leads onto the uppermost belt conveyor, and a secondentrance that leads onto an intermediate belt conveyor, thereby allowingthe cooling tunnel to be operated in either a first configurationwherein the gum rope enters through the first entrance or a secondconfiguration wherein the gum rope enters through the second entrance.In the first configuration, the gum rope travels along a greaterdistance through the cooling tunnel than in the second configuration. Insome cases, the gum rope may require greater cooling time, in which casethe first configuration is employed. In other cases requiring lesscooling time, the second configuration can be used.

Alternatively, the second entrance can lead onto the lowermost beltconveyor. This would be useful when the cooling time required for thegum rope is sufficiently provided by using only the lowermost beltconveyor.

The center filling mechanism can feed a liquid filling or a powderfilling into the channel of the gum rope.

In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for making adual-filled chewing gum product employs a center filling mechanismhaving a liquid filler tube extending through the die orifice and apowder filler tube extending through the die orifice and spaced from theliquid filler tube. A liquid feed passage extends through the extruderhead and connects with the liquid filler tube for feeding a liquidfilling through the liquid filler tube, and a powder feed passageextends through the extruder head and connects with the powder fillertube for feeding a powder filling through the powder filler tube, suchthat the gum rope extruded through the die orifice is formed to have afirst channel filled with the liquid filling and a second channel filledwith the powder filling and separate from the first channel.

The rope sizer is structured and arranged to receive the gum rope fromthe extruder and to reduce the cross-sectional size of the gum rope andto shape the gum rope to have a non-round cross-sectional shape with agreater dimension in a width direction along which the first and secondchannels are spaced than in a height direction.

The cutter is structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from thecooling tunnel and to cut the gum rope into discrete gum pieces eachhaving a first cavity filled with the liquid filling and a second cavityfilled with the powder filling.

The apparatus can further comprise a final cooling device for coolingthe gum pieces.

The cutter advantageously comprises a chain die cutter.

Preferably, the rope sizer is configured such that the gum rope comingfrom the rope sizer travels along a substantially horizontal machinedirection and has the first and second channels of the gum rope spacedapart in a horizontal cross-machine direction perpendicular to themachine direction.

The center filling mechanism in one embodiment further comprises an airtube concentrically positioned within the liquid filler tube and coupledwith an air supply such that air and liquid filling are dischargedtogether for filling the first channel in the gum rope. In a preferredembodiment, the liquid filler tube has a non-round cross-sectionalshape, such as an elliptical shape.

The center filling mechanism advantageously also comprises a rotatingagitator positioned within the powder filler tube and coupled with adrive mechanism such that the agitator agitates the powder being fedthrough the powder filler tube.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a gum pieceis provided having a first cavity filled with a liquid filling and asecond cavity filled with a powder filling.

In one embodiment of the invention, the gum piece further includes ahard shell covering the outer surface of the gum piece. The gum piece inaccordance with one embodiment has a generally pillow-shapedconfiguration defining two opposite major surfaces and side edges of thegum piece that extend between the two opposite major surfaces. The sideedges of the gum piece are substantially flat in side and frontelevations. The gum piece can have a generally rectangular shape in planview, with at least two side edges of the gum piece being linear in planview. In one embodiment, all four side edges are linear in plan view.The gum piece can have a length exceeding a width of the gum piece, andthe first and second cavities can be spaced apart in a directionextending across the width.

The liquid filling can comprise an aqueous solution containing one ormore of sweeteners, flavors, cooling agents, substances to enhanceproduction of saliva, oral care compositions, and the like.

The powder filling likewise can comprise one or more of sweeteners,flavors, cooling agents, substances to enhance production of saliva,oral care compositions, and the like. One or more of the ingredients ofthe powder filling can be provided in the form of encapsulated material.

The liquid filling can have a different flavor from the powder filling.By using encapsulated flavorings in the powder filling, the gum piececan provide a dual taste experience wherein an initial burst of flavoris provided by the liquid filling upon beginning to chew, and furtherchewing then causes the initial flavor to dissipate and the differentflavor of the powder filling to become dominant. It is also possible forthe two flavors to mix during an interim period so as to form yet athird flavor, such that a triple flavor experience is provided. The gumitself can also include a flavor, which can be the same as or differentfrom the flavors of the liquid and powder fillings. When the gum pieceincludes a hard coating, the coating can also include one or moreflavorings. Thus, the invention makes possible a substantial versatilitywith respect to multiple-flavor experiences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gum piece in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the gum piece;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the gum piece, showing the twoseparate cavities;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the gum piece;

FIG. 5 is a top view of an apparatus for making filled gum pieces inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an extruder and center filling assemblyuseful in the production of dual-filled gum pieces in accordance withone embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through the extruder and center fillingassembly;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view along line 9-9 in FIG. 5, showing asection through a first roller pair of the rope sizer;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along line 10-10 in FIG. 5, showing asection through a last roller pair of the rope sizer;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the cooling tunnel inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of the cooling tunnel;

FIG. 13 is a top elevation of the cooling tunnel;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation of a chain die cutter useful in theproduction of dual-filled gum pieces in accordance with one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view through an extruder and center fillingmechanism in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention;and

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view through the gum rope produced by theextruder and center filling mechanism of FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings in which some but not allembodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

A dual-filled gum piece 20 in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention is depicted in FIGS. 1 through 4. The gum piece 20 comprises achewing gum composition 21 formed into a discrete piece that defines afirst internal cavity 22 and a separate second internal cavity 24. Thefirst cavity 22 is filled with a liquid filling 26, while the secondcavity 24 is filled with a powder filling 28. The chewing gum piece 20can also include a hard outer coating or shell (not shown).

The liquid filling 26 can comprise an aqueous solution containing one ormore of sweeteners, flavors, cooling agents, substances to enhanceproduction of saliva, oral care compositions, and the like. Aqueous bulksweetener solutions such as those containing sorbitol, xylitol,lactitol, maltitol, glycerol, hydrogenated isomaltulose and otherpolyols, or combinations thereof, may be used in the liquid filling.Thickeners can also be included, such as gelatin, xanthan gum, guar gum,acacia gum, pectin, carrageenan, cellulose gum, or the like.

The powder filling 28 likewise can comprise one or more of sweeteners,flavors, cooling agents, substances to enhance production of saliva,oral care compositions, and the like. One or more of the ingredients ofthe powder filling can be provided in the form of encapsulated material.

Powder bulk sweeteners that can be used in the powder filling mayinclude sweeteners such as sugar alcohols, including but not limited tosorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, lactitol,maltitol, hydrogenated isomaltulose, or the like, alone or incombination. High-intensity sweeteners may also be used and are commonlyused with sugarless bulk sweeteners. These may include but are notlimited to sucralose, aspartame, salts of acesulfame, alitame, saccharinand its salts, cyclamic acid and its salts, glycyrrhizin,dihydrochalcones, thaumatin, monellin, and the like, alone or incombination. One or more of the ingredients of the powder filling can beprovided in the form of encapsulated material.

Flavoring agents that can be used in the gum composition and/or in theliquid filling and/or in the powder filling include essential oils andartificial flavors, or mixtures thereof, including natural oils derivedfrom plants and fruits such as citrus oils, peppermint oil, spearmintoil, other mint oils, clove oil, oil of wintergreen, anise, and thelike. Artificial flavorings can comprise fruit flavors such asstrawberry, raspberry, blueberry, grape, apple, cherry, banana, melon,or the like.

The gum piece 20 can be formed in various shapes and sizes. In theillustrated embodiment, the gum piece has a generally rectangular shapein plan view (FIG. 2). The gum piece has a pair of opposite majorsurfaces 30 and 32 each of which is generally convex in a direction awayfrom the other major surface, although each major surface can include aportion that is generally planar or flat in at least one direction. Thegum piece also has two opposite side edges 34 that are generallyparallel to each other, and two opposite side edges 36 that aregenerally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to the sideedges 34. The side edges 34 can be substantially linear in plan view, orcan be concave or convex. The side edges 36 can have a slight concavityin plan view, or can be linear or convex in plan view. In a preferredembodiment as shown, the side edges 34, 36 are linear in plan view.Furthermore, the gum piece need not be rectangular in plan view, but canhave another shape such as elliptical, oval, round, etc. Incross-section (FIGS. 3 and 4), the gum piece can have a generallyelliptical or oval shape.

In one embodiment as shown, the gum piece is rectangular and has alength (measured between the side edges 34) exceeding a width of the gumpiece (measured between the outermost parts of the side edges 36). Thefirst and second cavities 22, 24 are spaced apart in the widthdirection.

The liquid-filled cavity 22 advantageously is larger in cross-sectionthan the powder-filled cavity 24, although such is not necessarily thecase. In cross-section, the cavities 22, 24 can be round or non-round.As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid-filled cavity 22 advantageously has anon-round (e.g., elliptical or oval) shape whose major dimension extendsin the width direction of the gum piece and whose minor dimensionextends in the height direction of the gum piece.

An apparatus 50 for making dual-filled gum pieces in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 5, and FIGS. 6 through 14depict various components of the apparatus in greater detail. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, the apparatus includes an extruder and centerfilling assembly 60 for extruding a gum rope that has a first channelfilled with a liquid filling and a second channel filled with a powderfilling, a rope sizer 100 for reducing the cross-sectional size of thegum rope and shaping the gum rope to have a non-round shape incross-section, a cooling tunnel 110 for cooling the sized and shaped gumrope, a cutter 150 for cutting the gum rope into discrete gum pieces,and a final cooling unit 190 for cooling the gum pieces. The gum piecesdischarged from the final cooling unit can then be transferred to afurther processing such as a coating process 200 and a packaging process210.

The extruder and center filling assembly 60 is depicted in detail inFIGS. 6 through 8. The extruder includes an extruder head 62 thatdefines a chamber 64 for receiving a molten and flowable gum compositionfrom a suitable device such as an extruder screw (not shown) coupledwith the extruder head. The extruder head further includes a die 66defining a die orifice 68 through which the molten gum composition isforced from the chamber 64 under pressure so as to extrude a rope of gumfrom the die orifice.

The assembly 60 further comprises a center filling mechanism having aliquid filler tube 70 extending through the die orifice 68 and a powderfiller tube 72 extending through the die orifice and spaced from theliquid filler tube. The extruder head 62 defines a liquid feed passage74 extending through the extruder head and connecting with the liquidfiller tube 70 for feeding a liquid filling through the liquid fillertube. The extruder head also defines a powder feed passage 76 extendingthrough the extruder head and connecting with the powder filler tube 72for feeding a powder filling through the powder filler tube.Accordingly, the gum rope extruded through the die orifice 68 is formedto have a first channel filled with the liquid filling and a separatesecond channel filled with the powder filling.

The center filling mechanism further includes a powder hopper 78 thatcontains the powder filling. The hopper has a discharge tube 80 throughwhich the powder filling is discharged with the aid of a feed screw 82driven by a motor 84. The motor 84 also drives a rotating agitator 86disposed in the hopper 78 for agitating the powder filling to preventagglomeration, clumping, or caking of the powder filling. The powderfilling is discharged from the tube 80 into the powder feed passage 76of the extruder head. A rotating agitator 88 extends down the center ofthe powder feed passage 76 and the powder filler tube 72 for agitatingthe powder filling to prevent agglomeration, clumping, or caking of thepowder filling so that the powder filling flows smoothly andcontinuously through the powder filler tube. The agitator 88 is drivenby a motor 89.

The center filling mechanism also includes an air tube 90 that extendsdown the middle of the liquid filler tube 70 for blowing air under aslightly superatmospheric pressure into the liquid-filled channel of thegum rope to assist in the filling of the channel and to prevent thedevelopment of a vacuum in the liquid-filled channel that could causethe gum rope or the finished gum pieces to shrink or distort. The airtube 90 is connected to an air feed passage 92 in the extruder head 62,which receives pressurized air from a suitable source (not shown).

The rope sizer 100 receives the gum rope from the extruder and centerfilling mechanism assembly 60. With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, therope sizer comprises a series of roller pairs arranged one after theother. Each pair of rollers 105 preferably have their rotational axesoriented vertically (although a horizontal orientation can alternativelybe used) and parallel to each other, and the outer peripheries of thetwo rollers are spaced apart to define a space for receiving the gumrope R. The rollers rotate in opposite directions such that the gum ropeis gripped by the outer peripheries of the rollers and is pulled alongthe lengthwise direction of the rope. Each roller pair has an outerperipheral speed greater than that of the immediately prior roller pairsuch that the rope is progressively increased in speed and reduced indiameter as it advances from one roller pair to the next. As an example,the gum rope's speed can increase by about five times from the entranceof the rope sizer to the exit. The rollers preferably are alsoconfigured along their outer peripheries to impart a non-round shape tothe gum rope. For example, the rollers can be configured to shape therope such as shown in FIG. 10, wherein the rope has a greater width thanits height. The liquid-filled and powder-filled channels 26, 28 of therope are spaced apart in the width direction, and the gum rope is fed tothe rope sizer such that the width direction extends horizontally alongthe cross-machine direction (i.e., perpendicular to the machinedirection along which the gum rope advances) and the length direction ofthe rope extends horizontally along the machine direction. In theillustrated embodiment, the rope sizer comprise six pairs of rollers,but a different number of roller pairs can be used depending on therequirements in each instance.

After the sized and shaped gum rope exits the rope sizer 100, it is fedthrough the cooling tunnel 110 to cool and dry the gum rope prior tocutting. The cooling tunnel is shown in detail in FIGS. 11 through 13.The cooling tunnel includes an enclosure 112 that forms an interiorspace substantially isolated from the surroundings outside theenclosure. The enclosure can be formed so that at least parts of theenclosure are transparent to allow viewing of the progress of the gumrope through the tunnel. At one end of the enclosure, a refrigerantcompressor 113 of a refrigeration device is arranged for compressing asuitable refrigerant and supplying the refrigerant through suitabletubing (not shown) to a series of evaporators 114 disposed in theenclosure. Fans 115 for blowing air over the coils of the evaporatorsare mounted in the enclosure such that cooled air is circulated throughthe enclosure and over the gum rope progressing therethrough.Additionally, heaters 116 are mounted in the enclosure for controllingthe temperature of the air being circulated. This air conditioningsystem ensures that air at the desired temperature and desirably lowrelative humidity is circulated through the enclosure to cool and drythe gum rope.

The cooling tunnel includes a series of vertically spaced, individualbelt conveyors 118 arranged inside the enclosure 112. The belt conveyorsextend parallel to the length direction of the enclosure 112 andparallel to one another, and each is substantially horizontal. The beltconveyors 118 thus lie substantially in a vertical plane. The conveyorsinclude an uppermost belt conveyor 118 a and a lowermost belt conveyor118 k, and nine intermediate belt conveyors 118 b through 118 j disposedbetween the uppermost and lowermost conveyors. Each belt conveyorcomprises a belt formed in an endless loop about suitable rollers orsprockets, and each belt is driven by its own separate drive motor 120.The belt conveyors 118 a, 118 c, 118 e, 118 g, 118 i, and 118 k all aredriven so that the upper flight of the respective belt travels in themachine direction (left to right in FIGS. 11 through 13). The other beltconveyors 118 b, 118 d, 118 f, 118 h, and 118 j have their upper flightstraveling opposite to the machine direction (right to left in thedrawings).

The belt conveyors 118 are structured and arranged such that the gumrope carried along the uppermost belt conveyor 118 a falls off thedownstream end of the upper flight of the belt onto the next beltconveyor 118 b. The conveyor 118 b extends slightly farther to the rightin the drawings than the uppermost conveyor so that it catches the ropefalling from the uppermost conveyor. The second conveyor 118 b thencarries the rope to the left and it falls down to the next conveyor 118c in the same manner, and so forth. The gum rope is finally carried bythe lowermost conveyor 118 k to a discharge conveyor 122 that advancesthe rope to the chain die cutter.

The gum rope is carried into the cooling tunnel 110 by an inlet conveyor124, through an entrance opening formed in the enclosure 112. Inaccordance with one embodiment of the invention, the tunnel includes twoor more alternative entrance openings. A first opening leads the gumrope onto the uppermost conveyor 118 a. A second alternative openingleads the gum rope onto an intermediate conveyor such as conveyor 118 ias shown, or onto the lowermost conveyor 118 k. The first opening isused when maximum residence time and cooling of the gum rope arerequired. The second opening is used when less residence time andcooling are required. The inlet conveyor 124 advantageously isconfigured so that it can be readily moved from one entrance to another,such as through a quick-connect coupling or the like.

Each belt conveyor 118 advantageously carries the gum rope slightlyfaster than the immediately preceding conveyor, the objective being toprevent the gum rope from “snaking” or bending in a horizontalside-to-side fashion. Such snaking could have adverse effects on thequality of the gum pieces produced, and in extreme cases could result inthe rope becoming jammed in the cooling tunnel. To prevent such snaking,the individual drive motors 120 are controlled so that a gradualincrease in speed occurs through the tunnel. The cooling tunnel caninclude one or more sensors (not shown) for detecting the gum rope'sposition on each belt conveyor 118. If the rope moves out of the desiredstraight position by more than a predetermined amount, then an alarm canbe given to alert the machine operator that an abnormal condition mayexist in the tunnel. It is also possible to control the motor speedsbased on the sensor output signals so as to automatically reduce anydetected snaking.

The speed increase through the cooling tunnel can be varied dependingupon the requirements in each case. Generally, the ratio of the outletspeed (i.e., the speed of the lowermost conveyor 118 k) to the inletspeed (i.e., the speed of the uppermost conveyor 118 a) will be greaterthan or equal to 1.0 and less than about 1.3, more preferably less thanabout 1.2, still more preferably less than about 1.15, still morepreferably less than about 1.1, and even more preferably less than about1.05.

The cooled gum rope exits from the cooling tunnel 110 and is then cutinto discrete gum pieces in the cutter 150. Various types of cutters canbe used. In one embodiment of the invention, the cutter comprises achain die cutter such as shown in detail in FIG. 11, which isconstructed substantially in the fashion described in U.S. Pat. No.1,348,081 to Brach, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference. The chain die cutter comprises a first chain 152 formed by aplurality of successively arranged chain links 154 each pivotallyconnected to the links on either end thereof, such that the chain 152forms an endless loop. The cutter further comprises a second chain 156of substantially similar construction, formed of chain links 158connected to form an endless loop. The first chain 152 is looped about apair of rotatable sprockets 160, 162 and the second chain 156 is loopedabout a pair of rotatable sprockets 164, 166. The downstream sprocket162, 166 for each chain has teeth for engaging the chain links and isrotatably driven by a suitable drive device (not shown) so as to rotatethe chain loops 152, 156 in opposite directions.

Each chain link 154 of the first chain has a forming die 168 affixed tothe link. Each forming die 168 defines a recess 170 configured as anegative impression of a portion of the desired exterior surface shapeof the gum pieces to be produced. The links 156 of the second chainlikewise support forming dies 172 each defining a recess 174 configuredas a negative impression of a portion of the desired exterior surfaceshape of the gum pieces to be produced. The forming dies can bevariously configured. The chains 152, 156 are positioned such that theirloops are coplanar and converge upon each other in the machine directionalong which the gum rope R is advanced. The chains are driven insynchronism with each other such that the dies 168 and the opposite dies172 come together and cooperate to form molds having a negativeimpression of the desired exterior surface shape of the gum pieces to beproduced. The dies 168, 172 define cutting edges 176 that come togetherto cut the gum rope into discrete gum pieces 20 that are discharged fromthe chain die cutter as the chains diverge in passing about the drivesprockets 162, 166. The cutting edges 176 also seal the edges of the gumpieces to enclose the liquid and powder fillings.

The final cooling unit 190 can comprise any suitable type of coolingunit for cooling the gum pieces in preparation for further downstreamoperations.

Such further operations can include, for example, a coating process 200(FIG. 5) for coating the gum pieces with a hard coating or shell. Anysuitable coating equipment may be used. Examples of such equipmentinclude traditional coating pans as well as newer, high-technologysystems.

In the hard coating panning procedure, the coating syrup is generallyadded to the gum cores at a temperature of from about 10° C. to about90° C., and more preferably from about 30° C. to about 70° C. Thecoating on the gum pieces may be applied in a single hard layer or in aplurality of hard layers.

In general, applying a plurality of layers involves applying a singlecoat, allowing the coat to dry, and then repeating the process obtains aplurality of layers. Any number of coats may be applied to the gumcores. Preferably, the gum cores are coated with about 30 to 70 layers.

Once a portion of syrup is applied to the gum cores, the wet syrupcoating is dispersing on the cores and dried; such drying is done byforced-air drying in a temperature range of from about 15° C. to about45° C. The drying air should have relative humidity below 50% RH. Eachapplication of a wet syrup coating to the gum pieces is followed by adistribution period without air and then a forced-air drying of thecoating, and the coating and drying steps are alternated until thedesired numbers of coating layers have been deposited on the gum pieces.

A protective and polishing layer of food-grade wax (e.g., carnauba waxor the like) or shellac resin may be applied over the hard coating, ifdesired, in order to protect the coating from exposure to atmosphericmoisture and to impart a glossy finish to the gum pieces.

After coating, the gum pieces are subjected to a packaging operation 210(FIG. 5) for shipment to distributors and/or retail outlets.

The gum pieces and the apparatus and process described thus far relateto dual-filled gum pieces. However, the invention is not limited todual-filled gums, but also encompasses single-filled gums filled withliquid or powder filling. FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate an embodiment forliquid-filled gum. An extruder and center-filling assembly 60′ forproducing a liquid-filled gum rope R having a single channel 26 filledwith a liquid filling is depicted in FIG. 15. The assembly is generallysimilar to that described above in connection with FIGS. 6 through 8,and includes an extruder head 62 that defines a chamber 64 for receivinga molten and flowable gum composition from a suitable device such as anextruder screw (not shown) coupled with the extruder head. The extruderhead further includes a die 66 defining a die orifice 68 through whichthe molten gum composition is forced from the chamber 64 under pressureso as to extrude a rope of gum from the die orifice.

The assembly 60′ further comprises a center filling mechanism having aliquid filler tube 70 extending through the die orifice 68. The extruderhead 62 defines a liquid feed passage 74 extending through the extruderhead and connecting with the liquid filler tube 70 for feeding a liquidfilling through the liquid filler tube. The center filling mechanismalso includes an air tube 90 that extends down the middle of the liquidfiller tube 70 for blowing air under a slightly superatmosphericpressure into the liquid-filled channel of the gum rope to assist in thefilling of the channel and to prevent the development of a vacuum in theliquid-filled channel that could cause the gum rope or the finished gumpieces to shrink or distort. The air tube 90 is connected to an air feedpassage 92 in the extruder head 62, which receives pressurized air froma suitable source (not shown).

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

1. An apparatus for making a filled chewing gum product, comprising: an extruder comprising: an extruder head defining a chamber for receiving a molten gum composition and including a die defining a die orifice through which the molten gum composition is forced from the chamber under pressure so as to extrude a rope of gum from the die orifice; a center filling mechanism having a filler tube extending through the die orifice; and a feed passage extending through the extruder head and connecting with the filler tube for feeding a filling through the filler tube, such that the gum rope extruded through the die orifice is formed to have a channel filled with the filling; a rope sizer structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from the extruder and to reduce the cross-sectional size of the gum rope and to shape the gum rope to have a non-round cross-sectional shape with a greater dimension in a width direction than in a height direction; a cooling tunnel structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from the rope sizer and to cool the gum rope, the cooling tunnel comprising a series of individual belt conveyors each extending substantially horizontally and parallel to a machine direction along which the gum rope is advanced and spaced apart from one another in a vertical direction such that the belt conveyors substantially lie in a vertical plane, the belt conveyors including an uppermost belt conveyor and a lowermost belt conveyor each traveling in the machine direction and at least one intermediate belt conveyor, wherein each belt conveyor travels in a direction opposite to the immediately prior belt conveyor, and wherein the gum rope is threaded in a serpentine fashion through the cooling tunnel such that the gum rope is carried along one of the belt conveyors traveling in the machine direction and then along subsequent ones of the belt conveyors, finally exiting the cooling tunnel from the lowermost belt conveyor; and a cutter structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from the cooling tunnel and to cut the gum rope into discrete gum pieces each having a cavity filled with the filling.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gum rope coming from the rope sizer travels substantially parallel to the machine direction and has the width direction of the gum rope extending in a horizontal cross-machine direction perpendicular to the machine direction.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the belt conveyors are independently driven by individual drive motors.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the drive motors are variable-speed motors whose speeds are independently controllable.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling tunnel has a first entrance that leads onto the uppermost belt conveyor, and a second entrance that leads onto an intermediate belt conveyor, thereby allowing the cooling tunnel to be operated in either a first configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the first entrance or a second configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the second entrance.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling tunnel has a first entrance that leads onto the uppermost belt conveyor, and a second entrance that leads onto the lowermost belt conveyor, thereby allowing the cooling tunnel to be operated in either a first configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the first entrance or a second configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the second entrance.
 7. An apparatus for making a filled chewing gum product, comprising: an extruder comprising: an extruder head defining a chamber for receiving a molten gum composition and including a die defining a die orifice through which the molten gum composition is forced from the chamber under pressure so as to extrude a rope of gum from the die orifice; a center filling mechanism having a liquid filler tube extending through the die orifice and a powder filler tube extending through the die orifice and spaced from the liquid filler tube; and a liquid feed passage extending through the extruder head and connecting with the liquid filler tube for feeding a liquid filling through the liquid filler tube, and a powder feed passage extending through the extruder head and connecting with the powder filler tube for feeding a powder filling through the powder filler tube, such that the gum rope extruded through the die orifice is formed to have a first channel filled with the liquid filling and a second channel filled with the powder filling and separate from the first channel; a rope sizer structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from the extruder and to reduce the cross-sectional size of the gum rope and to shape the gum rope to have a non-round cross-sectional shape with a greater dimension in a width direction along which the first and second channels are spaced than in a height direction; a cooling tunnel structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from the rope sizer and to cool the gum rope; and a cutter structured and arranged to receive the gum rope from the cooling tunnel and to cut the gum rope into discrete gum pieces each having a first cavity filled with the liquid filling and a second cavity filled with the powder filling.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a final cooling device for cooling the gum pieces.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cutter comprises a chain die cutter.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gum rope coming from the rope sizer travels along a substantially horizontal machine direction and has the first and second channels of the gum rope spaced apart in a horizontal cross-machine direction perpendicular to the machine direction.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the cooling tunnel comprises a series of individual belt conveyors each extending substantially horizontally and parallel to the machine direction and spaced apart from one another in a vertical direction such that the belt conveyors substantially lie in a vertical plane, the belt conveyors including an uppermost belt conveyor and a lowermost belt conveyor each traveling in the machine direction and a plurality of intermediate belt conveyors, wherein each belt conveyor travels in a direction opposite to the immediately prior belt conveyor, and wherein the gum rope is threaded in a serpentine fashion through the cooling tunnel such that the gum rope is carried along one of the belt conveyors traveling in the machine direction and then along one or more subsequent ones of the belt conveyors, finally exiting the cooling tunnel from the lowermost belt conveyor.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the belt conveyors are independently driven by individual drive motors.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the drive motors are variable-speed motors whose speeds are independently controllable.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the belt conveyors are driven by the drive motors such that a ratio of the speed of the lowermost belt conveyor to the speed of the uppermost belt conveyor is greater than or equal to 1 and less than about 1.3.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ratio of the speed of the lowermost belt conveyor to the speed of the uppermost belt conveyor is greater than or equal to 1 and less than about 1.1.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cooling tunnel has a first entrance that leads onto the uppermost belt conveyor, and a second entrance that leads onto an intermediate belt conveyor, thereby allowing the cooling tunnel to be operated in either a first configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the first entrance or a second configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the second entrance.
 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cooling tunnel has a first entrance that leads onto the uppermost belt conveyor, and a second entrance that leads onto the lowermost belt conveyor, thereby allowing the cooling tunnel to be operated in either a first configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the first entrance or a second configuration wherein the gum rope enters through the second entrance.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cooling tunnel further comprises blowers for blowing air across the gum rope.
 19. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the center filling mechanism further comprises an air tube concentrically positioned within the liquid filler tube and coupled with an air supply such that air and liquid filling are discharged together for filling the first channel in the gum rope.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the liquid filler tube has a non-round cross-sectional shape.
 21. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the center filling mechanism further comprises a rotating agitator positioned within the powder filler tube and coupled with a drive mechanism such that the agitator agitates the powder being fed through the powder filler tube. 